


Too Reckless for You

by Madmonarchy



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Comedy, Consent, Eventual Smut, F/M, Insubordination, Teasing, reckless hunter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-06
Updated: 2019-10-06
Packaged: 2020-11-24 19:31:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20912936
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madmonarchy/pseuds/Madmonarchy
Summary: The huntress is too brave and brash and bold. The Field Team Leader tries to reign her in.





	Too Reckless for You

She’d never get over the feeling. The wind whipping through her hair, drying her eyes and stinging her cheeks. It was exhilarating. A rush that brought a grin to her face and forced her to promptly shut her mouth for fear of insects finding their way in. It was something everyone begged her to stop doing. One day you’re going to miss. Well, she hasn’t yet. Maybe the day will come, but not today.

Today, she was freefalling through the air after prematurely releasing from the Barnos when she saw her target. She spun in the air, removing her switch-axe from her back, switching into blade mode and plunging the blade deep into the back of a rather unfortunate Ajanath. The shock of the sudden stop wracked through her arms and body, but her smile was wicked as the beast screamed. Someone who didn’t know her might take her for a sadist when in truth she just really liked the rush of doing exactly what people tell her not to do. 

The Ajanath shook her off in a last-ditch effort to survive and she went flying, her weapon still stuck in its flesh. The huntress landed much more softly than she expected, a pair of arms catching her instead of the mossy floor of the forest. She looked up and met eyes with the Field Team Leader, who shook his head at her. “You’ve got to stop doing that.”

He put her down gently on her feet. She only gave him that carefree grin and a lazy salute. Insubordination was what she known for. As well as being an adrenaline junkie. Which was why she stuck her tongue out at him and turned around and ran after her quarry as it began to drag itself away with her weapon stuck in it. Her Palico went running past him, clearly choosing to take a safer route.

If he didn’t get done in by a monster, she would be the death of him. At least she kept things interesting.

The huntress had caught up to the Ajanath. It was sound asleep with the switch-axe sticking straight up out of it. How monsters could sleep with the injuries inflicted on them she’d never know. She blasted a couple on tranquilizer bombs underneath it’s nose to make sure it would say asleep as she placed a shock trap next to it, the beast too exhausted to put up a fight as it was trapped. She clambered on top of its back and pulled her blade out finally and got a growl but no further protest.

Once off the slumbering giant’s back, she looked over her work. This was certainly one of her fastest hunts. Granted, she did have gravity on her side, but it was hardly the first time she’d ever done it. She’d grown a lot as a huntress since coming to the New World which was exciting but also disheartening. Soon enough nothing would be a challenge anymore and then what would she do? Go home? Better not to think about it.

Her fuzzy companion nuzzled up to her leg suddenly and she smiled down at it, scratching between its ears as her partner for the mission approached.

“I don’t know why I bother coming along with you anymore.” He crossed his arms and looked past her to the sleeping Ajanath. She approached him with her axe secure to her back and an almost airy step. 

She turned and shrugged at him, motioning at him with her hands as if to say, you’re good company. He laughed, and she nudged him with her elbow.

“Let’s get going ah- by foot because if you freefall into Astera I’ll never hear the end of it.” He grabbed her arm as she went to whistle for a ride and got a sheepish grin in return. He let go of her arm as members of the research team started running past them to the monster. The rest of the forest was relatively quiet, so they took a leisurely pace on the way back. The huntress couldn’t help to capture a couple of small monsters, like the woodland pteryx, and placing them in the cart beside the larger beast. 

She was oddly peaceful now. The fight, or lack thereof, was over so she took time to admire her surroundings. She loved the Ancient Forest. No matter how many times she explored it there was always some little nook or cranny she hadn’t found. Or a bug waiting to be discovered. Or another hare to bring home and join the other thousand in her bedroom. Her love of excitement and exploration is what led her to the New World.

But what happens when the New World isn’t new anymore? When every bug is found, and every monster captured, and every small animal has a home in her room? Will she still have a purpose in Astera? Once the research commission has done what they came to do, they’ll go home, and she’ll have a choice whether to make: to stay or to go back home. It’ll be a while before the matter comes up but that didn’t mean it didn’t bother her.  
The field Team Leader nudging her pulled her out of her thoughts. “What’s with that look on your face? Something wrong?” His expression was one of concern.

She smiled and waved her hands, _ nothing important. _ Her hands moved to her stomach, _hungry._

_ __ _

__

She could tell her didn’t believe her, so she decided to run off, making it seem like her hunger was the most important thing to her right then. It wasn’t, she just wanted an out to the conversation.

When they finally reached the gates of Astera night had begun to fall. The research team took the beast away and she reported to ecological research as the Field Team Leader went toward the canteen. She hung around, avoiding going up there so he wouldn’t press her for more. She he cared but she wasn’t even sure how to express what she was feeling. It was a pointless worry. There wasn't any merit in bringing it up with anyone. 

In order to kill time, she went to her room. She placed her weapon on its stand and she took off her armor, choosing simple pants and her leather under armor. It’d be smart to try and get some sleep, but she was restless. Her palico didn’t share the same affliction however and was comfortably passed out in her bed along with several of the woodland hares. If only he knew of how jealous she was of him. Normally the pond and open sky of her room did well to soothe her but not tonight. Instead she grabbed her notebook and left quietly as not to wake the piles of fur on her bed.

The tradeyard was still busy as always, everyone milling about on their busy, far too busy to notice her making her way up to the workshop and out the side door to the viewing platform. No one ever came up there besides the admiral and he was never around, so it was a perfect spot to gather her thoughts. 

She leaned against the wooden railing and stared out into the night sky. The stars twinkled brightly and she took a deep breath. She could see so much of the New World from here and yet it still seemed so small. Looking out at the ocean, she wondered what lay await to be discovered deep under those dark waves. Hopefully one day someone will make a diving contraption so she could see for herself. 

“Thought I’d find you here.”

The huntress nearly jumped of her skin at the sound of the Field Team Leader’s voice. She turned and glared at him, protectively hugging her notebook to her chest. He laughed and raised his hands, “Didn’t mean to scare you, though I didn’t think that was possible.”

She sighed and looked back over the railing. So much for being alone with her thoughts.

“Hey,” he leaned against the railing beside her, and she now noticed he wasn’t wearing his armor either, instead opting for more casual clothing. “What’s got you so distracted? I’ve never seen anyone make you jump before.”

She went to wave him off, it’s nothing. She turned to leave and he caught her by the arm. She stared at him in confusion, _what?___

_ __ _

_ __ _

“Come on, you avoided me at the canteen,” she frowned at that, she had told him she was hungry after all. “Tell me what’s going on before I tell everyone the Sapphire Star has lost her A-game.” He teased her and she wrenched her arm from her grip.

She opened up the notebook to a blank page and wrote, ‘Like anyone would believe you. Pretty sure I broke the record today for fastest capture.’

“You only got that because no one else is crazy enough to skydive from that height into an attack like that.”

_‘You call it crazy, I call it brave.’___

_ __ _

_ __ _

He sighed in defeat as she smirked at him. His face grew serious then. “Be honest with me, why do you do brave stuff like that? If you’re trying to prove something as a hunter, trust me, you don’t need to. We all know how good you are, you don’t get nickname like Sapphire Star, for nothing.”

She shook her head and looked down to the open page. She wrote simply, _it keeps things exciting._

_ __ _

_ __ _

“Excitement, really? Endangering your life fighting giant monsters isn’t enough for you?”

She shook her head, a sad smile on her face. He wouldn’t understand. It was hard to explain anyway. Her need for constant change. To always be on the move. Any time she got injured they had to restrain her to keep her from sneaking out and most times she got out anyway. She needed the rush. 

He was staring her down, she had a feeling she wasn’t going to get out of this conversation as easily as last time. Her shoulders slumped, and she leaned heavily against the railing, looking into the ocean. She could see the Wildspire Waste from here too. He was waiting for an answer and she couldn’t use the mute thing to her advantage as usual because of the notebook. She lazily opened it and wrote, _'I don’t want this place to get boring. I haven’t been here long but I’m wondering what happens when all’s said and done.'___

_ __ _

_ __ _

He laughed. A full bellied laugh that had his shoulders shaking and it made her wonder how hard it would be to heave his oversized form over the railing. Instead, she tried to leave again, and he grabbed her hand this time, gently. “Wait, hold on. I’m not laughing at you. It’s just, I’ve lived here my whole life and I promise not a minute of it has been boring. Not even after we got done with Zorah Magdos, we haven’t slowed down. You certainly haven’t.”

She paused, her hand was still held in his and she couldn’t help but notice how tiny it looked in comparison. Was everything in the New World bigger? She looked up to him and he was looking earnestly at her. It was true, he was born here after all and he doesn’t seem bored. Maybe he’s right. But there wasn’t any guaranteeing that. 

She raised a brow at him and pointedly stared at their joined hands. He chuckled and let go, turning his head to look away, as if he were suddenly shy. “Look uh, I just don’t wanna see you get hurt okay? Could at least promise not to skydive anymore?” 

She couldn’t help but observe him for a second. His sudden change in demeanor was weird. She smirked and scribbled down, _“No promises. But I’ll think twice for now on.”_ She tapped his shoulder to get his attention and laughed when he hung his head after reading her note.__

_ __ _

_ __ _

“That’s the best I’ll get from you huh?” He had this really soft smile on his face and she got goosebumps out of nowhere. His face was all sharp angles and scars and he was nothing but packed muscle and calloused hands. That gentle expression was surprising but not unwelcome. He was always so serious during the day. His relaxed posture was a nice change of pace. 

She caught herself staring at him for a little too long and her cheeks heated up. The huntress never realized it before, but The Field Team leader was attractive. She certainly never thought he was ugly, but she hadn’t ever taken the time to notice how handsome he was. She was always running around during the day between missions and expeditions. Most nights she wasn’t even in Astera so she never saw him during downtime. Their time together consisted of him trying to keep her from some doing asinine stunt. She hadn’t taken in his features before now and now that she did, she found herself getting hot in places she hadn’t indulged in in a very a long time.

The subject of her observation began waving his hand in front of her face, “You still in there?”

She snapped out of her trance, red in the face and heavily embarrassed. Her face was as red as a fatty tomato. She shook her head and rested her cheek on her hands, telling him she was tired. 

He cocked his head, “You sure? You’re all red, at least let me walk you back- “

She shook her head again, she was fine. Of course, she was fine. She was just realizing that she was a woman with needs other than hunting giant monsters and stuffing herself full of food. One of her needs was now him which meant she had to get as far away as possible as quick as possible because she didn’t know what to do with this information. This wasn’t a monster that she could take down and study later. No, this was her Leader and she had no intentions of capturing him.

Her response to her sudden primal urges was to turn tail and sprint down the steps, while jumping a few railings, which didn’t necessarily line up with her whole being tired charade, but she didn’t care at that moment. Her focus on this moment was running. The last time she ran like this was when she first came face to face with a Deviljho. This was a different kind of beast.

When she finally reached her room, she collapsed on her bed, the shepard hares scurrying around to make room for her. A couple of them laid on her stomach and she ran her fingers through their fur. That was nice, soft and warm. Certainly not what she imagined his skin would feel like under her-

She stopped that train of thought before it could go any further. There was no way she could partake in that. There was so much to do she couldn’t afford to focus on something like that. Sure, it’d be decent stress relief, the idea wasn’t lost on her. It wasn’t lost on any hunter. Sometimes that was what they needed after a particularly long hunt. Some hunters would drag themselves back after almost dying and celebrate by having sex with nearest willing participant. She’d done it once or twice before.

But not since coming to the new world. She hadn’t felt the need to. Not even on the ship, which was a long journey and more than a few of her bunkmates found ways to kill their boredom, at the cost of her precious sleep. She never considered it once though. Her excitement was enough to satiate her.

Now though, with her constant worry about boredom, her needs were becoming more apparent and she wasn’t sure how to go about it. Did he even find her attractive? A couple of the other hunters had tried to come on to her, but she had no idea how the Field Team Leader felt. He definitely cared. That was apparent from how he was always trying to get her to stop skydiving and stop charging head into every confrontation. Or maybe he just didn’t want to lose the ‘Sapphire Star’. 

She doubted that last part, from the way he was looking at her there was no way his concern for her was as surface level as that. But then where did his concern stem from?

She didn’t want to think about it anymore and rolled over in her bed. A particularly affectionate pilot hare snuggled up to her face and she buried herself in its fur. This’ll pass. She just had to focus on the next hunt.

\----  
The next hunt, the Field Team Leader insisted on tagging along despite her protests. 

She was going after a Diablos. Not an easy hunt but it was nothing she couldn’t handle on her own. Which is what her frantic gestures were trying to tell him. 

“I don’t care that you can take care of yourself, I have to hear from your Handler that the palicos had to scrape you off the ground I swear I’ll lose it. I’m going. That’s final. And you’re going to listen to me, or I promise to bench you for a month.”

She pouted the entire flight to the Wildspire waste. And when they landed, her pout continued. As well as when tracking the monster. It was so much faster to just fly over it and land on it. Tracking took forever and was just plain boring when you got good at it. And she was. So was he. Which was why she didn’t understand why he was so enthralled in it.

He was studying a pair of tracks and she was stood behind him. She already knew where to find it. The tracks pointed to the large open area of the Wildspire waste. With any luck it was asleep and she could just sneak up to it. 

She started to slip away, he was so focused on the tracks there was no way he’d notice her as she began to tiptoe in an alternative direction. She got about two steps in when he turned around.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

Her shoulders slumped and she pouted at him.

He had an amused smile on his face. He was an experienced hunter. There wasn’t any sneaking away from him. 

“Do you even have a plan?”

She pointed to her weapon on her back. That always seemed to work just fine. She was always prepared for a fight. 

He shook his head, “That’s not a plan. That’s a weapon to help execute a plan. Listen up.” He motioned for her to join him under the shade on a nearby rock.

His plan involved setting up two traps, one in the area with the wildspires and one where it sleeps, where it’ll retreat to after they’ve worn it down. He also wanted to paralyze it. His entire plan revolved around immobilizing the monster as much as possible. It was solid… but also incredibly boring. He didn’t give her a choice though.

In order for it work, one of them had to distract the monster while the other set up the first trap. The huntress happily volunteered for this position and was shot down instantly. He would take care of luring it and she had to set the trap. 

Setting the trap took her no time. In her boredom she climbed one of the spires just above it, deciding that once it was trapped she’d jump on it. He wasn’t going to spoil all her fun. The waiting was painful. It wasn’t long in the slightest, but she was impatient. 

She perked up when she heard a familiar roar. She watched as the Field Team Leader came sprinting in with the Diablos following. He saw her waiting on the spire and shook his head, but he couldn’t stop her from where he was. 

The diablos bounded after him. The Field Team leader expertly turned sharply before the trap and the beast landed right in it, the shock temporarily paralyzing it which gave the huntress the opportunity to leap off the spire and land on the monster’s head. It broke free from the trap and she held on to it tightly, plunging her blade over and over again into its face. When it finally stumbled she blasted the element phial from her switched into it.

As the beast fell she and her companion began the wail on it til it finally got up and began to attempt limping away. She started to go after it but he stopped her. “Uh-huh, part two. Go.” He pointed to the hole in the ground that lead to the Diablos lair. She glared at him but turned and went to the hole anyway. Why was she listening to him? The threat of being benched didn’t scare her that much, she could always sneak out. But if she got caught he could report it to the Commander. There was a chance enough insubordination would result in her being sent back to the Old World. 

For now, she obeyed him. She had a short amount of time to set the trap as he stalled their prey. She did it quickly and even set up a couple of bombs. It was decent work. 

She was leaving the cave just in time for the Diablos and Field Team Leader to come in. She went to go after it but he grabbed her and pulled her to the wall of the cave as the Diablos dragged itself into its home and they could hear the trap go off, but the Field Team Leader was still holding her to the wall.

She tapped the arm holding her with a confused expression and he put a finger to his lips and she gave him a look that said, Really? Suddenly, she heard large, heavy footsteps and the arm on her midsection tightened, flattening them further. 

The Bazelguese made its way into the cave. An oversized beast that she hadn’t the pleasure of taking down herself just yet. It had exploding scales ready under its body. 

She felt like today could be the day she brought down such a monster but he wasn’t releasing her. Not even when they could clearly hear the trap be broken and the larger beast was alerted to the noise. It charged into the smaller part of the cave and all they could hear was the Diablos’ roars of pain and then silence. 

He finally let go of her and pointed to entrance, urging her to go. She was fuming that they’d lost their prey. That could’ve been two beasts for the Research Commission in a single hunt but he’d clearly rather go home empty handed. 

Outside the cave she gave him a seething glare and he sighed. “Look, that’s not a fight we’re prepared for right now. We can go back to camp, regroup, and maybe call for help-“

She began storming off in the middle of his sentence. It didn’t matter how attractive he was. He was ruining this for her. The Diablos was already on death’s door, they could’ve taken both down without anyone else. He was lucky she couldn’t speak because if she could, the words she would have for him would make an elder dragon blush. 

He caught up to her and went to touch her arm but she snatched it away. “Oh, don’t be like that. Know when you’re in over your head, we can come back for it, just-“

He was interrupted by the roar of Bazelguese which was now staring the both of them down. 

She grinned at the challenge before her and went charging at it before he could stop her. Oh, she wouldn’t allow him to stop her. Not now. This was a fight she’d been waiting for. The monster flinched as she unleashed he switch axe directly on its face. It roared with such fierceness it pushed her back and she covered her face to block the air pushing into her. When she looked up, it was in the air, dropping its scales all around her.

The Field Team Leader was yelling something and she began running away. She wasn’t fast enough however, as she could hear it dragging its body on the ground behind her and the scales exploding. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as the final scales went off behind her and the Bazelguese struck her from behind. There was heat on her back and pain was felt all over. If she could scream she would have. Everything went black.

There was a sensation of being carried. She could hear someone talking to her over the roars in the background. 

When she finally came too, she was on her back. There was greenery all around her. A bush. She was inside a bush. They had to be in the forested area of the Wildspire Waste. A weight was on top of her. It was warm and heavy. It was breathing hot puffs of air in her face. Her vision came in focus and she realized it was the Field Team Leader, he was shielding her body with his. As her hearing came back she heard heavy footfalls and a deep growl. The Bazelguese.

The Field Team Leader hunched closer to her and she could feel every inch of his body. His thickly muscled chest was pressed into hers. His legs bracketed hers, just as his arms did on either side of her head. Oh, this was not the time for her mind to wander. But she couldn’t deny just how good he felt. She felt the same heat from the previous night creep back into her and she gasped. 

His gaze went to her and they just stared at each other for a moment. He mouthed, you okay? She nodded and swallowed. He went back to watching the monster that was stalking them.

Oh, she absolutely was not okay. The amount of pain she was in was absurd. The heat between her legs was also growing during the worst possible time. She bit her lip and couldn’t help but to stare deeply into those brown eyes and rake her eyes down his strong jawline. At least it was a good distraction from the pain in her back.

The Bazelguese finally flapped its wings and left the zone. Her companion stayed on top of her for a moment longer before finally looking back to her and sighing. He closed his eyes for a second. When he opened them and saw her staring back he realized the position they were in and scrambled off of her. 

“Sorry about that.” He awkwardly got up and dusted himself. 

With their impending doom no longer looming over them the huntress had to come to terms with the fact that she almost died. Her recklessness nearly cost her life. She moved to draw her knees up but that hurt too much so she just laid back in the dirt. The Field Team Leader approached her but she wouldn’t meet his eyes. She was waiting for an ‘I told you so.’ 

Instead he asked her, “Can you stand?” She slowly shook her head. Without any further conversation he gently scooped her into his arms. 

The Field Team Leader was oddly silent as he carried her back to camp. Thankfully they weren’t far, but he was still cautious as ever during the trek. Somehow, they dodged the bazelguese almost entirely, with only a wing flap that had them ducking under the nearest cover. At camp, the Handler and her Palico immediately began doting over her. 

Being carted back was embarrassing. She buried her face in her arms as she laid belly-down on the cart so she didn’t exacerbate her injury. This wasn’t something that happened to her. She could hear a few surprised gasps. A couple murmurs went through what was clearly a gathering crowd. 

The Field Team Leader had carried her to her room and the Handler helped her strip out of her armor. Her injury wasn’t as bad as she thought it was. Her armor took most of the hit, but she was still bed ridden for two weeks and wasn’t allowed to go on hunts for another two after that.

She practically begged them to kill her at the thought. Being stuck in one place was worse than the pain she was in. She was confined to her room. Her only reprieve was the Handler coming to visit and tell her of the hunts she’d been assisting on while her huntress was recovering. She was losing her mind.

It took a week for the Field Team Leader to come see her. It frustrated her because she wanted to see him while at the same she didn’t want to see him. He’d probably gloat, tell her that she had it coming, blah, blah, blah. But she’d have a good view while being lectured. Yeah, she was falling deep into that rabbit hole. She’d already read all the books in the room so her only other means on entertainment were her thoughts, which floated to him and many different possible scenarios with him, a couple having to do with the bush they were hidden in.

When he finally did visit, he didn’t gloat, he didn’t rub it in her face, nor did the ‘I told you so,’ ever come. He just checked in on her, brought her food, and kept her company. It was weird though not unwelcome. 

Two weeks into his now daily visits, he was sitting on the edge of her bed, one of the Shepard hares in his lap. He was playing with its ears, flipping them up and down. “Why do you have so many of these, I mean, I get they’re cute but it can’t be easy cleaning up after them.”

She just stared at him. What was he even doing here? Didn’t he have important Field Team Leader things to do? There had to be other hunters he had to keep a leash on. Squads to manage. Monsters to capture. Something other than spend all this time with her.

She tapped him on the shoulder and waved her hand around the room, _ what are you doing here? _

He leaned back on his hands, the picture of relaxation. “After two weeks, now you ask that question?”

She shoved his arm, startling the animal out of his lap. 

He laughed. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. Also, you’re less likely to sneak out knowing there’s someone coming to see you.”

The huntress rolled her eyes. Of course. She’d been considering getting out for a while but the times he came to see her were irregular so she never figured a good time to. She pouted and laid back on her bed. She was predictable. Her room had become a prison and he was her warden. 

She reached for her note and scribbled in it, ‘_Where were you the first week then?_’

“I was busy and you were too hurt to move anyway so I wasn’t worried.” He wasn’t looking at her, his gaze was focused on the garden, “Also, figured you might be mad and I’d give you time to cool off.”

He wasn’t wrong, she was mad but not at him. She was frustrated with herself because she had gotten hurt because she was being stupid. Her only anger toward him was due to him being so nice about the whole thing. 

When he turned to her, he had a cheeky grin, “What, did you miss me?”

She felt her face start to get warm. She had missed him. An entire being confined to her chambers meant an entire week of not hearing him nag her. Nor her bothering him. It was then that she was realizing that it wasn’t just physical attractive, she had a crush on him. 

“Hey.”

His voice drew her attention to him and she met eyes with him. His voice was soft, “You can say no, you won’t break my heart.” The expression on his face was similar to that night on the outlook. It was gentle and somehow made his scarred face more handsome. Her heart was beating so loud it was a wonder he didn’t hear it. It was just now registering with her how intimate the setting was. Her room always had a very romantic feeling to it, the fireplace, the garden, and the overly ornate bed. The bed that they just so happen to both be sitting on.

He had to notice too because his face changed. They were were staring into each other’s eyes. She was so lost in it she hadn’t noticed her palico leaving and taking the Shepard Hares with him. They were completely alone. 

Her back still hurt but when had she ever allowed an injury to stop her during a hunt? She could do this. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t been thinking about it. She sat up slowly, not wanting to ruin the moment. Oh, she wanted this. 

He started to lean in and she closed her eyes and tipped her face up. Her excitement threatened to spill over. He had been plaguing her thoughts relentlessly. Her breathing was heavy and she was hot all over. Finally.

But, instead of the soft pressure she expected against her lips, it was on her forehead instead. Her eyes snapped open and she saw him smirking. He squeezed her hand and winked at her, “I’ll let you get some rest.” 

With that, he left her all alone in her chambers. Her mouth was hanging open. 

Oh, she was going to kill him.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay why this ended up being multiple chapters I don't know, the plan to write something short and smutty and it got away from me.


End file.
